Most audiologists will allow a trial period for their hearing aids before you commit to buying them. However, the terms and conditions vary between audiologists. Here are a few things to ask to make sure you are not surprised by something down the line.
How Long the Trial Runs
The length of the trial period will typically last for around 4-6 weeks and will enable you to test the hearing aid in various situations. We would suggest that you confirm the length of the trial period with your audiologist prior to starting the trial.
What the Trial Actually Costs
For example, will you be charged for the fitting fee and a deposit for the hearing aids if you return them after the trial period? How much will you be charged if you decide to keep the hearing aids at the end of the trial?
Testing It in Real Environments
That will be tested for you in the clinic, but it will be equally as useful to test a hearing aid in a shop, in your kitchen or on a walk in the park than it would be to be given a pair of glasses and then sent to test them in a quiet dark room.
Adjustments During the Trial
How many follow-up appointments are included in the trial period? Are any fine-tuning the hearing aid part of the trial period and included in the cost or not?
What Happens at the End
g. exchange to another model of hearing aid) instead of them going to waste? For Audiologist Cheltenham, visit //www.imperialhearing.com/audiologist-near-me/cheltenham/.
Get the Terms in Writing
Before the trial begins it’s also a good idea to obtain from the clinic a written summary of the terms and conditions of the trial, and then compare them to your consumer rights as outlined by Citizens Advice when trialling goods.
Your hearing aid trial will work better for you, rather than just your audiologist, if you have raised the above points before the trial has started.